President Donald Trump's call for Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg to recuse themselves on cases involving him or his administration is nothing unusual, as presidents are not always happy with the court and its justices, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday.
"Presidents are allowed to have strong opinions," Gingrich told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to pack the court by adding extra justices because he was so mad at the court for blocking parts of the New Deal."
Trump already has added two justices, Gingrich pointed out, suspecting Trump will add two more if elected to a second term, leaving behind a court that is much more conservative than it would have been if Hillary Clinton won the election in 2016, or if Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wins this year.
"With Trump, I've never seen a president more dedicated to the principle that he is allowed to speak his mind as a normal citizen, which he is not," Gingrich said, but still there is no rule that says he cannot have his own opinion.
Gingrich also commented on Trump's successful visit to India, noting he was welcomed because other countries have come to respect both how tough he is and also that he wants to reach out.
He also expects other countries to be tough, Gingrich said.
"Trump isn't for a one-sided American nationalism," he said. "He is for representing American interests and assuming, for example, that [Narendra] Modi will represent India's interest or that Xi Jinping will represent China's interest."
But still, Trump is a "salesman," said Gingrich, noting the $3 billion reached in contracts with India for helicopters.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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